“WiFi on steroids” gets final rules, drops spectrum sensing

The FCC has signed off on final rules for using empty TV channels for …

At its monthly meeting today, all five FCC Commissioners set disagreements (mostly) aside and unanimously supported the final rules that will open empty TV channels to unlicensed broadband use. If all goes according to plan, these "TV white spaces" will be the raw material that unleashes another WiFi revolution—but this time with longer range, better building penetration, and even more speed.

White space devices will still need to query a special geolocation database before transmitting, in order to avoid broadcasting over existing TV channels and wireless mic users, but the FCC has ditched the expensive "spectrum sensing" tech it initially required back in 2008. On a conference call yesterday, reps from Google, Dell, and Public Knowledge worried that a requirement to include both the database check and spectrum-sensing hardware would make the new white space devices too costly and too difficult to build, while broadcasters and microphone users have long argued both techniques are necessary to avoid any interference.

In addition, the agency decided to handle the contentious issues of wireless microphones (most of which won't be recorded in the database) by setting aside two empty channels in every market for exclusive microphone use. Each channel should accommodate 12-16 wireless mics, but large productions (think NFL games or Broadway shows) can petition the FCC for more spectrum in advance; if approved, these productions would be temporarily added to the geolocation database.

The FCC meeting featured the "first appearance of an iPad" in the Commission's meeting room, as Chairman Genachowski noted, but it also featured a show of unity that has been hard to come by during more contentious proceedings, like the one about net neutrality. Every Commissioner loves the idea of white space devices, and each talked up the potential benefits of white space devices in no uncertain terms.

Genachowski used the vote to highlight his view of how government should work, calling it an excellent example of "government action leading to private investment and innovation." Government sets the ground rules that enable competition and prevent harm, then largely gets out of the way to let people innovate.

Government does not often work at "Internet speed," though. As Commissioner McDowell noted, this idea has been floating around the FCC since 2002—and it was even passed in 2008. It has taken another two years to finalize the technical rules, and even those aren't yet complete; the key specifications for the geolocation database still must be drafted, and every commissioner asked the FCC staff to do this quickly.

An American advantage?

Microsoft, which has been backing the tech for several years, praised the FCC's decision. "With this vote, the commission is taking a forward-looking view of how to optimize spectrum allocation by capitalizing on evolving technologies," said Craig Mundie, Microsoft's Chief Research and Strategy Officer.

"As a result, technology companies will be able to develop new applications that tap into the potential of white spaces networks. On Microsoft’s own campus in Redmond, WA, a prototype ‘White-Fi’ system delivers more economical broadband Internet access for employees traveling between buildings on the campus. The FCC’s decision will create opportunities for American companies to remain at the forefront of technological innovation."

This last bit about "American companies" was also noted by the Commissioners. Firms like Google, Microsoft, Dell, and Motorola have all been big backers of white spaces technology and have been developing it in their labs for years—everything from the hardware to the protocols to the firmware to the antennas.

Without numerous other countries, including the UK and Brazil, now considering some version of the same technology for their own markets, US companies may have a significant R&D edge when it comes to white space gear.